How Long Is Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3?

After years of anticipation, director James Gunn and Marvel Studios have finally released "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." The Marvel Cinematic Universe's cosmic group first debuted in 2014, grossing over $333 million domestically, emerging as one of the franchise's biggest hits. With the release of "Vol. 3," the current iteration of Guardians is getting the swan-song treatment, with the threequel set to be their final ride. How long will audiences get to spend with Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and the rest of the gang this time around?

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" clocks in at 2 hours and 30 minutes, making it one of the longest films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's also the longest film in the trilogy, with "Vol. 1" and "2" coming in at 2 hours and 1 minute and 2 hours and 16 minutes, respectively. It makes sense that "Vol. 3" is the longest of the bunch considering it wraps up the arcs first set up in the 2014 film.

Prior to the film's release, Gunn made it clear on Deadline's "Hero Nation" podcast that "Vol. 3" would be the last flick in the franchise to feature this current roster of heroes. While it remains to be seen what the future holds for the next generation of films in the franchise, it's all but likely that "Vol. 3" serves as Gunn's final Marvel outing now that he's head honcho at DC Studios. Audiences are clearly excited to see Gunn wrap up his trilogy, with the film boasting an impressive $17.5 million cume in Thursday night previews, per The Wrap.

With "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" being 150 minutes long, what can fans expect from the threequel? Well, lots of tears, according to director James Gunn. While speaking with Collider, Gunn teased just how emotional the final film in the trilogy would be. "I know that there's been a lot of people crying in the screening, so I guess people cry," Gunn said, setting up expectations. Scared your favorite Guardian is going to bite the dust? Don't worry — not all of "Vol. 3's" tears are the result of sadness or grief. "But it's not all sad crying, there's a lot of happy crying in the movie, there's a lot of joy in the film," Gunn continued. "You know, everybody talks about the emotion, and it is emotional, but there's a lot of joy."

The film is packed with emotion, at least according to Looper critic Audrey Fox, who praised the threequel for integrating a heartbreaking backstory for Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), which is at the heart of the film. "It does right by all of the characters, giving them the send-offs they deserve — especially Rocket, who manages to evoke more of an emotional response than his little CGI face has any right to," Fox wrote in a 7/10 review.

Seeing as the threequel serves as a heartfelt goodbye to our favorite group of intergalactic heroes, it more than makes sense that "Vol. 3" is the longest flick in the franchise. 

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is set after 2022's "Holiday Special," which debuted on Disney+. The latest film in the MCU follows the Guardians on a chaotic mission that sees them racing against the clock to save one of their own. "Vol. 3" notably features the reunion of Star-Lord (Pratt) and Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), who last, albeit briefly, shared the screen together in "Avengers: Endgame."

For fans, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is more than just a satisfying ending — it's a fitting and triumphant send-off to some of Marvel's most quirky and colorful characters. Audiences gave the film the much coveted A CinemaScore, all but proving Gunn's still got the charm and spectacle he had with the first film. While Gunn and the rest of the crew are likely basking in the film's positive reception, making the film was no small task for the creative. "I was on edge the whole time I was making this movie," Gunn admitted to the Toronto Sun. "I knew how difficult it was going to be to balance all of these different characters and the final-ness of their stories in this trilogy. So it was always an uneasy feeling for me." 

Well, Gunn seems to have knocked it out of the park, especially thanks to the film's extended runtime.